Who here has the oldest Taylor

[TaylorGirl]

2000 Baby Taylor

[Jersey tuning]

Make mine a Toro please. They are my second addiction    I've  a couple more Grand Habano Vintage 2002s here, They go well with The Taylors also.  But always keep the Gits cased when not in use.

I store my ports as carefully as my guitars.  Had a yummy 1994 Cockburn's vintage port on Super Bowl Sunday with friends.....       same color as my Custom GC's AA rosewood back.

[cigarfan]

Make mine a Toro please. They are my second addiction    I've  a couple more Grand Habano Vintage 2002s here, They go well with The Taylors also.  But always keep the Gits cased when not in use.

I store my ports as carefully as my guitars.  Had a yummy 1994 Cockburn's vintage port on Super Bowl Sunday with friends.....       same color as my Custom GC's AA rosewood back.

I am the same way with my cigars. In honor of the Super Bowl (and before I watched it) I pulled from the humidor a 9-year old Partagas Serie D No. 4. (yes, from down there). It shared time with a nice glass of Balvenie TUN. This was the best part of my day. Certainly better than watching the game.

And we better get this thread back on track. Maybe start something over in the lounge to continue this conversation.

[TaylorGirl]

so far ...
11 814ce
03 312ceLTD
01 BT
87 510
83 615
77 710
76 815

looks like this thread has stalled, unless someone pipes up with a 75 or 74 model

how about the oldest Taylor guitar in series & shape
91 412

OK, like cigarfan said, we'll get this thread back on topic.

Oldest, by series:

2000 Baby Taylor

[ebick]

I own Serial #253,  I was told that Bob started the numbering system with #100 ? So if thats true mine is the 153 Taylor.
 The 815 is a 1976.    38 years old now and sounds amazing. Is in excelent condition for it's age ,and this 815 was very well constructed.  I know there are some American Dreams Guitars out there,  Please speak up 

That's got to be the winner right there.

[Edward]

Not much to contribute here, except that my BabyT is 1999

Edward

[TaylorGirl]

Not much to contribute here, except that my BabyT is 1999

Edward

Aw...man! :-\Beats my 2000. I'm out of it.

[michaelw]

i had a 97 baby T with the soundwall, but it didn't have the rather flamboyant headstock silkscreen of the 96 model

there's a 03 quilted maple

figured rosewood

 & quilted sapele with 'hog top hanging out here & i've got gold grover mini tuners with
ebony buttons, ab dot ebony pins & gold hardware that need to be put on the maple &
sapele, a la 02 liberty tree baby, but in terms of any of them being the oldest baby here ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qML5yrVFxQ#t=52

[cpmusic]

My Baby M dates to 2000, but that was two years after Taylor introduced that variation on the Baby.

[MTLeonard]

Mine won't win the prize but I do have a 1995 Dan Crary.

[michaelw]

Mine won't win the prize but I do have a 1995 Dan Crary.

cool
yours is the oldest DCSM listed so far -
here's a link to a 96 model
http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/20U-14666.htm

i have an 89 810c that has the same cutaway shape, rosette, binding & fretmarkers
with a cherryedgeburst finish & abalone edged top - love those square shoulder X10s

[michaelw]

I own Serial #253,  I was told that Bob started the numbering system with #100 ? So if thats true mine is the 153 Taylor.
 The 815 is a 1976.    38 years old now and sounds amazing. Is in excelent condition for it's age ,and this 815 was very well constructed.  I know there are some American Dreams Guitars out there,  Please speak up 

um, i did a little more research & according to the serial #, your 815 could  be a 77 model
this used to be on the previous iteration of Taylor's website
http://www.themusiczoo.com/blog/2010/taylor-guitars-serial-number-dating-guide/

SERIAL NUMBERS                   YEAR           SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS
[didn't use serial numbers!]   1974          Employees Bob Taylor, Kurt Listug, and Steve Schemmer purchase the
                                                                American Dream Musical Instrument Manufacturing shop in Lemon Grove,
                                                                California, and change the name to Taylor Guitars; all rosewood used is Brazilian.

10109 to 10146                     1975          Had to let most of our employees go after we used up our original capital;
                                                                settled into being broke and trying to figure out how to make guitars.
20147 to 20315                     1976          Guitar #20168 is the first Taylor made from East Indian rosewood; guitar
                                                                #20179 is the latest Taylor “on record” to have the mortise neck joint
                                                                (by the time we made #20229, we were not using mortise neck joints);
                                                                Kurt hits the road to sell direct to dealers.

30316 to [--]450                    1977          Taylor Guitars signs a distribution deal with the Rothschild company,
                                                                an instrument distributor.

there shows to be 37 made in 74 & 168 made in 75, if the sequence was continuous with all numbers were
used & the year was when the guitar was started, if i recall correctly, the idea for starting with #10109
was that #10101- 10108 were reserved as numbers #1-8, so that those guitars could built "later on" -
depending on when the sequence changed from 30316 to a 3 digit number, if it started at one or continued, say for
example if there were 14 models made, to 30330 & then the transition was made, the first 3 digit serial could  be #220

but regardless, your 815 has an earlier serial # than my 710, so you're still "in the lead"

so far,
11 814ce
03 312ceLTD
99 BT
95 DCSM
91 412
89 810c
87 510
83 615
77 710
77 815

[Redwood Tree]

 This is not mine but it could be yours, Is this a real 1976 810?
 Looks like a fair price?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111278701933?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Michaelw, thats good information!, Looks like I was sold a 77 model that was advertised as a 76.(  should I complain? Haha). So from now on I'll know its a 1977.
 

[michaelw]

This is not mine but it could be yours, Is this a real 1976 810?
 Looks like a fair price?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111278701933?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

Michaelw, thats good information!, Looks like I was sold a 77 model that was advertised as a 76.(  should I complain? Haha). So from now on I'll know its a 1977.

it looks legit to me -
no truss rod cover, the bridge looks like it's been reglued, non-original style bridge pins &
case & it's hard to get a good idea of how it looks, partially because of the lighting, although
the pics are decent size, they're not hi-res & when zoomed in on, they get fuzzy in a hurry

it is a first year model, but not for the reason the seller is stating -
it was the first year that the 800 series went from brazilian rosewood to east indian,
as there were guitars made with the Taylor logo on the headstock beginning in 74

i have a feeling i know where this guitar came from & it's just being flipped -
i would've been willing to pay the $ guitar sold for previously, but not the current $ 

[Hornwriter]

Believe I have the oldest on this Forum  - First Serialized Taylor

A while back I noticed the historical serial number information on the TaylorGuitar.com Website (outdated references above now) indicated that the first Serialized Taylor was SN# 10109.  This appeared to be incorrect, as my guitar is SN# 00109.  I had recently read that S/N XX101 thru XX108 were reserved, thus making this possibly the first serialized Taylor ever built, produced between April and May of 1975.  Bob has communicated his thoughts on this matter and graciously decided to amend his Taylor website to now read as follows:

"The two oldest verified serial numbers are 00109 and 10109. Record keeping in the early days was spotty and it's uncertain which guitar is actually the first one, but these two were built within the first few months of Taylor Guitars production."

https://www.taylorguitars.com/support/general/decoding-taylor-guitars-serial

For pictures and the full story also see the A Relic of Taylor Guitar History posted on this forum as well

Steve