Rock Solid
(Press Release | Posted 2007-10-07)
The cat — make that the axe — is officially out of the bag. In case you haven’t already heard, Taylor is getting ready to introduce a solid body electric guitar, and everyone around here — starting with Bob Taylor — is pretty amped. In fact, the guitar world at large has already caught the pre-launch buzz, fueled on the Internet by a smattering of video sightings and guitar forum chatter.
We cut through the scuttlebutt in early September with our first official acknowledgment of the guitar in the Taylor Insider, our free online newsletter designed to give the Taylor faithful a sneak peak at new products. In addition to the development story, we announced three versions of our new solid body. Each was designed from the ground up by Bob Taylor and his design team. We’re talking original new pickups, a sleek all-aluminum bridge, fresh body design, proprietary neck-to-body construction, unique switching capabilities — the list goes on and on. Taylor’s innovative imprints are all over this guitar.
If you’re not on the Insider list and didn’t catch the e-mail, you can read the story here. By the way, if you’re not already on the Insider list, you can sign up at www.taylorguitars.com.
Pro players and guitar magazine staffers have gotten the first hands-on previews of what this guitar is all about, and as the Insider details, the response so far has been phenomenal. A common, unsolicited reaction among players — besides not being able to put the guitar down once they start playing it — has been some variation on the comment that “this guitar feels alive.”
Bob Taylor’s goal was to give the electric player a sound and feel that was unique, and yet quintessentially Taylor, that would be fun and musically inspiring. So far so good. Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw got to play a couple of models in New York, and insisted on absconding with them to use on stage. The following day on his blog, Tommy raved that Taylor had hit a “homerun.” Toby Keith’s guitar player, Rich Eckhardt, loved the one he played, and has incorporated it into his performances, as well.
We’ve been doing a lot to gear up for the official launch of the guitar in January of 2008. We’re building a separate website for the Taylor electric that is slated to go live in a few weeks. The site will be loaded with video footage, from artist performances to a multi-part series on the development of the guitar, featuring conversations with Bob Taylor and couple of our key product development guys, David Hosler and Brian Swerdfeger, whom you’ll recognize from other Taylor videos. And look for a several-page spread on the guitars in the fall issue of Wood&Steel.
You want to play one? Well, you can be sure that we’ll be armed with solid bodies to show off as we start up another tour leg of our popular Taylor Road Shows this fall. To find out where we’re headed, check our Road Show calendar here. Plus, you can catch a glimpse at all three remaining Premier Guitar Festival events in 2007, in Boston (September 15-16), Washington DC (November 17-18), and New Jersey (December 8-9).
www.taylorguitars.com
