Bob Taylor Talks woods

[JuanCarlosVejar]

check it out friends :

 

 

 

 

 

 

JC

[slimt]

That is a great way to get the word out on what is what.... I like Taylors.. I wonder what he ment by Curved Bracing...

 

 

Gibson should be doing this annually.. and Not just at a Namm show.. Im not a dealer.. But I am a Buying Customer , and would like to see this done..

[EuroAussie]

I couldnt get past that awful jangly, tinny tone that was coming out of that guitar that Bob was playing to get any further. Reminded me why most Taylors really dont do it for me.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

I couldnt get past that awful jangly, tinny tone that was coming out of that guitar that Bob was playing to get any further. Reminded me why most Taylors really dont do it for me.

 

Exactly my thoughts ... I think that is why he still plays the 855 or whatever he built in 1978 probably because the ones they make now are really tiny in tone and I wasn't sold to buying or even trying a taylor ... Gibson has the roar I need . I doubt any other will cocme close .

 

 

JC

[EuroAussie]

In my local guitar shop the high end guitars are either Gibson or Taylor, it gives me an opportunity to compare side by side, with same tone woods, similar body size etc...

 

The only Taylor that really grabbed was the cheapest one there, a GS Mini. It had a reallh nice warmth to it, and a heluv growl, it actually sounded more like Gibson than Taylor. As a travel guitar it would make a great option, especially with the 1 3/4 nut width.

 

The thing about Bob Taylor, with all due respecdt .... he's such a nerd, like the Bill Gates of acoustics .... plus he uses the term 'neat' to desribe tone or bracing, geeky .... give me Ren anytime.

[Guth]

First impression: I actually liked the sound of the mahogany guitar he was playing and he's a pretty decent player to boot. I give the guy credit for impacting the world of acoustic guitars more than any other person in my lifetime. I actually laughed at his comment regarding the appearance of the wood used in one of their maple guitars — "now that doesn't suck". Taylors might not be everyones cup of tea, but they certainly have made a lot of people happy in a relatively short period of time.

[JuanCarlosVejar]

First impression: I actually liked the sound of the mahogany guitar he was playing and he's a pretty decent player to boot. I give the guy credit for impacting the world of acoustic guitars more than any other person in my lifetime. I actually laughed at his comment regarding the appearance of the wood used in one of their maple guitars — "now that doesn't suck". Taylors might not be everyones cup of tea, but they certainly have made a lot of people happy in a relatively short period of time.

 

+1

 

I'm not saying I woudn't play Taylors

but I would probably want a "vintage" Taylor rather than a new one.

 

 

JC

[Farmer Roy]

The thing about Bob Taylor, with all due respecdt .... he's such a nerd, like the Bill Gates of acoustics .... plus he uses the term 'neat' to desribe tone or bracing, geeky .... give me Ren anytime.

 

 

I wish I was more of a nerd like Bill Gates or Bob Taylor and with all due respect, Ren is gone.

 

Because I have a few Taylor guitars, I get the Wood & Steel magazine from them. In the "Ask Bob" section of 2012 Winter edition there is a quote from Bob I'd like to share. The question was from a player who had recently had rotator cuff surgery and could only play a narrow guitar, preferably with nylon strings. Bob explained that they only made the T-5 and only with steel strings,and that probably wasn't what the player would like at all. He then went on and said this....."My friend Robert Godin makes some very nice guitars that would suit your needs. You should look at Godin."

 

This is what a guitar nerd does and over the years I have seen other examples in W&S of Taylor giving props to and recommendations for other builders. Plus, the sales staff at the music store in Spokane where I've bought my Gibsons, a Taylor and a Martin have told me about Bob Taylor stopping in to say hi when he was in town visiting his folks. They also just recently told me about Gibson dropping them as a dealer because they didn't meet the business model. These guys used to have a wall of Gibsons to choose from, now they have expanded their choice of Taylor and Martin guitars.

 

So let's see, Hmmm......a guitar nerd who knows wood like the back of his hand and travels the world finding it, is an innovator who likes to make videos of what he's doing with the guitars he loves to build, praises other peoples guitars and even encourages people to consider the purchase of those instruments when they fit the player's needs better than a Taylor offering, who along with his partner Kurt Listug is growing his business and dealership network and enjoys meeting the folks that actually sell the guitars with his name on the headstock that make the growth possible.................OR, a business wonk who has left a lot of Gibson lovers like myself with Guitar Center as our only local dealer.

 

Here in the Northwest USA, Gibson has only 15 dealers remaining in the whole state of Washington with 8 of them Guitar Center or Best Buy, only 1 dealer is left in Idaho (GC in Boise) and in Montana the home of the Gibson Acoustic division, Music Villa in Bozeman and a dealer in Missoula are left, no one in Great Falls, Billings or Kalispell.......

 

A search on this forum will bring up a lot of questions and concerns about buying online, the tone from a Taylor guitar, and the Guitar Center sales staff and how they take care of the instruments on their walls. Before long, only a few options may be left for those of us wanting to buy a Gibson guitar.......be willing to drive 300 miles to find a dealer who will have guitars to play, buy online without playing, or.......either learn to love Guitar Center or Taylor tone.

 

JuanCarlosVejar, thanks for posting the video, sorry I went off topic.

[Spot]

1330785908[/url]' post='1139734']

The thing about Bob Taylor, with all due respecdt .... he's such a nerd

 

....just like us EA!

Guitar Nerds!

 

 

[JuanCarlosVejar]

I wish I was more of a nerd like Bill Gates or Bob Taylor and with all due respect, Ren is gone.

 

Because I have a few Taylor guitars, I get the Wood & Steel magazine from them. In the "Ask Bob" section of 2012 Winter edition there is a quote from Bob I'd like to share. The question was from a player who had recently had rotator cuff surgery and could only play a narrow guitar, preferably with nylon strings. Bob explained that they only made the T-5 and only with steel strings,and that probably wasn't what the player would like at all. He then went on and said this....."My friend Robert Godin makes some very nice guitars that would suit your needs. You should look at Godin."

 

This is what a guitar nerd does and over the years I have seen other examples in W&S of Taylor giving props to and recommendations for other builders. Plus, the sales staff at the music store in Spokane where I've bought my Gibsons, a Taylor and a Martin have told me about Bob Taylor stopping in to say hi when he was in town visiting his folks. They also just recently told me about Gibson dropping them as a dealer because they didn't meet the business model. These guys used to have a wall of Gibsons to choose from, now they have expanded their choice of Taylor and Martin guitars.

 

So let's see, Hmmm......a guitar nerd who knows wood like the back of his hand and travels the world finding it, is an innovator who likes to make videos of what he's doing with the guitars he loves to build, praises other peoples guitars and even encourages people to consider the purchase of those instruments when they fit the player's needs better than a Taylor offering, who along with his partner Kurt Listug is growing his business and dealership network and enjoys meeting the folks that actually sell the guitars with his name on the headstock that make the growth possible.................OR, a business wonk who has left a lot of Gibson lovers like myself with Guitar Center as our only local dealer.

 

Here in the Northwest USA, Gibson has only 15 dealers remaining in the whole state of Washington with 8 of them Guitar Center or Best Buy, only 1 dealer is left in Idaho (GC in Boise) and in Montana the home of the Gibson Acoustic division, Music Villa in Bozeman and a dealer in Missoula are left, no one in Great Falls, Billings or Kalispell.......

 

A search on this forum will bring up a lot of questions and concerns about buying online, the tone from a Taylor guitar, and the Guitar Center sales staff and how they take care of the instruments on their walls. Before long, only a few options may be left for those of us wanting to buy a Gibson guitar.......be willing to drive 300 miles to find a dealer who will have guitars to play, buy online without playing, or.......either learn to love Guitar Center or Taylor tone.

 

JuanCarlosVejar, thanks for posting the video, sorry I went off topic.

 

No problem Roy ,

 

but you have to remember that Bob Taylor is the founder of he company and he has been there since the start.

Henry J on the other hand is not the founder of the company and probably doesn't care for the dealers as much as Bob does.

But I really get your point and I can see Bob is a great luthier and a great guy all around.

 

That being said I think he has great knowledge of woods and guitars.

And I would like to try out a "vintage" Taylor if I ever got the chance.

 

 

JC

[BigKahune]

.

Nothing new on woods for me.

 

I don't care for the sound of that first guitar. Sounds a bit artificial, not from wood. Richer tone? Sounds tiny and thin. Maybe it's the mic over 15 instead of by the soundhole(?).

 

I like some of Taylor's products, this one doesn't do it. He does show off a couple beautiful looking guitars though.

 

 

.

[Tarrr]

Taylors are finished with poly, not nitro. Poly is fine for acous/elec, which is the heart of Taylor Guitars. The much thinner Nitro finish allows an acous git to develop character but cost more to build. Not a ding on Taylor, just how they build their products.

[slimt]

I think the only issue Ive seen other than they pretty much are all the same in Sound and feel..

 

is that they dry out to fast... Ive owned a few where the Tops sunk in front of the bridge by the sound hole.. and they would not rebound back with humidity .

 

I would Not buy another because of the 815 and 615 that went through those problems.. I like the looks of these... but thats it..

[Gibson101]

He seems like a cool guy but those things just don't do it for me at all!!!!!!

 

I'll stick to my Gibby's and Martin's.

[pinkphiloyd]

Different strokes, I suppose. I love my Gibson and my Martin, wouldn't part with either. But I also have a 25th anniversary 414ce and it's the fullest, richest guitar I've ever played. Maybe I just got lucky.

[drathbun]

I wish I was more of a nerd like Bill Gates or Bob Taylor and with all due respect, Ren is gone....

 

I like Bob Taylor a LOT! I read his book and his story is as interesting as that of both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. The difference between Bob Taylor and Steve Jobs is... Bob is a nice guy. In fact, if I were to make comparisons, I wouldn't compare Bob with Bill, I would compare Bob with Steve Wozniak. Like "Woz", Bob is all about freedom of information. Woz wanted the Apple computer to be open source and expandable because Woz was and is a geek. Same with Bob. He's interested in ensuring that guitar players have a great guitar experience, even if that means turning them away from his product to one of his competitors products as in the example Farmer Roy quote above.

 

I have a Taylor 12 string and it is a beautifully made, playing and sounding guitar. If anything, Bob Taylor has brought guitar making into the 21st Century with his innovations in neck design, electronics and finish technology. I read "Wood and Steel" from cover to cover each month. Ever time I go to my local guitar shop, I will pick up yet another Taylor 6 string. They are wonderful instruments but I've yet to find one that sounds better than my SWD and NOTHING sounds like a J200!

 

My love of my Gibsons does not deter or deflect my admiration for Taylor. I wish Gibson had some of Taylor's consistency and Taylor had just a little of Gibson's "soul".

 

BTW, if you haven't seen some of Bob's YouTube videos on guitar maintenance / humidification, do yourself a favour. They are very informative.

 

Bob Taylor Understanding Humidity Part 1

Bob Taylor Understanding Humidity Part 2

Bob Taylor Understanding Humidity Part 3

[Mojorule]

I'm sure he's a nice guy, and I'm sure he knows his wood. I'm sure he also knows how to build a guitar which doesn't suck. But I just don't hear the mahogany in that guitar - more steel than wood to my ears. Which makes me wonder where all that knowledge about wood actually takes him. I can see why some people really like the Taylor sound, and indeed it doesn't suck, but I can't equate that cleanness with any particular wood.

 

I actually preferred the Wildwood video of Ren that was posted recently. Apparently sitting in the same seat, he said a lot less, played in a much less technically impressive way than Bob, but somehow conveyed to me that the Hummingbird New Vintage is a really nice sounding guitar which exudes a warmth that appears to have something to do with its mahogany back and sides. He didn't quite convince me that it really should be a bluegrasser's instrument of choice, mind. Or that the hot hide glue really makes that much of a difference. Or that I should swap the slopeshoulder for the honey-glazed squareshoulder. Sounded good though. Like the wood he chose actually counted for something substantial. I liked his story as well.

 

In any case, I think my ears are rather closer to Ren's than Bob's. But all power to Bob's efforts. Not so keen on the vocabulary, though, which actually is not properly nerdish (think wine-tasting notes as proper nerd-speak in the subjective sense realm). Don't see how describing a Taylor's tone as 'richer' is any more scientific or rigorous than EA describing a Gibson's tone as having 'soul'. Presumably 'richer' is an acceptable epithet on AGF though.

 

Also, having seen Parlour Man's recent post regarding the problem with his Woody, I have to say that I most definitely do not want the top of my guitar to boing.