Taylor Guitars factory tour
Damian,
I ended up not shooting any video, I'm sorry to say.
If you go down to San Diego, by all means do this tour. Of the 20 or so tour participants, only three of us were Taylor owners, but there were a lot of converts when the tour was over. At the end of the tour, you're plopped out into the Taylor store where you can buy T-shirts, hats, knick-knacks, and one other thing: guitars. The store features about 30 demo guitars that you're free to play to your heart's content. And the demos are for sale at an obscenely low price. It was very, very tempting.
I ended up not shooting any video, I'm sorry to say.
If you go down to San Diego, by all means do this tour. Of the 20 or so tour participants, only three of us were Taylor owners, but there were a lot of converts when the tour was over. At the end of the tour, you're plopped out into the Taylor store where you can buy T-shirts, hats, knick-knacks, and one other thing: guitars. The store features about 30 demo guitars that you're free to play to your heart's content. And the demos are for sale at an obscenely low price. It was very, very tempting.
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Dennis:
Thanks for sharing your tour with us. I was supposed to go there for my birthday in January, but things did not work out for me.....
I am still hopeful though. The factory is only about 2.5 hrs south of me, so I am sure to get my chance.....
When you plopped out into the gift store and saw the guitars there, did you, by any chance, see any lefties??????? Probably not, but that is my lot in guitar life.
Did you buy anything?
Jason
Thanks for sharing your tour with us. I was supposed to go there for my birthday in January, but things did not work out for me.....
I am still hopeful though. The factory is only about 2.5 hrs south of me, so I am sure to get my chance.....
When you plopped out into the gift store and saw the guitars there, did you, by any chance, see any lefties??????? Probably not, but that is my lot in guitar life.
Did you buy anything?
Jason
Jason,
Yes, they had one lefty to demo, but I can't remember what it was. If you're interested in finding out, just call Taylor's main number. The person who answers it also works the Taylor store.
I only bought a couple of little tchotchkes. Nothing even worth mentioning. But, as I said, those guitars were very tempting.
Yes, they had one lefty to demo, but I can't remember what it was. If you're interested in finding out, just call Taylor's main number. The person who answers it also works the Taylor store.
I only bought a couple of little tchotchkes. Nothing even worth mentioning. But, as I said, those guitars were very tempting.
waggis wrote:
One thing that I noted was that Taylor is introducing new woods into the marketplace to get consumers used to hearing the names of these woods. For example, they have been making guitars out of a wood called sapele, which is closely related to mahogany. Bob Taylor is anticipating a time when mahogany will be unavailable. The same applies to a wood called ovangkol, which will be around to replace rosewood when that's gone. I'm happy to have just bought a rosewood guitar while I'm still able.
Another interesting thing about the koa that I saw at the factory: there were three racks of it there. One was labeled "low grade koa," the second was labeled "AA koa" and the third "master koa." So I think the higher-end koa guitar you have, the greater the percentage of increase in value you'll see in the future.
Just my idle speculation. Don't buy a koa guitar based on my musings.
I wouldn't be the least bit surprised. Koa grows only in Hawaii -- a tiny state whose supply of koa has been depleted. The only way anyone will ever get more koa wood -- and they'll pay a king's ransom for it -- is if a tree falls naturally. It's the same story with Brazilian rosewood. That's also gone, and Taylor just released a guitar (made from an old supply of it) that they're selling for $20,000.Interesting about the Koa wood supply. I just bought a Taylor K20ce limited at a very cheap price. Perhaps one day it will be quite valuble.
David
One thing that I noted was that Taylor is introducing new woods into the marketplace to get consumers used to hearing the names of these woods. For example, they have been making guitars out of a wood called sapele, which is closely related to mahogany. Bob Taylor is anticipating a time when mahogany will be unavailable. The same applies to a wood called ovangkol, which will be around to replace rosewood when that's gone. I'm happy to have just bought a rosewood guitar while I'm still able.
Another interesting thing about the koa that I saw at the factory: there were three racks of it there. One was labeled "low grade koa," the second was labeled "AA koa" and the third "master koa." So I think the higher-end koa guitar you have, the greater the percentage of increase in value you'll see in the future.
Just my idle speculation. Don't buy a koa guitar based on my musings.
Denny, thanks for the tour! I know you had a great time and it was a wonderful bithday gift. And yes, Jamie is a great girl. I know how much she has to deal with day by day, and the grace and beauty she so naturally has to pull it off.