Product Description

This gorgeous, premium book tells the story of how Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug took a small San Diego guitar-building company and transformed it into an industry leader that produces more than 70,000 high-quality guitars a year. Features dozens of full-color photos of many rare guitars, including instruments Bob Taylor built before the company's founding, standard production models (including the acoustic bass and the new nylon string series), custom-built instruments, and special celebrity models.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #649641 in Books
• Published on: 2005-01-10
• Released on: 2004-12-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 220 pages

From the Publisher
Special Import from German publisher PPV Medien. Gorgeous production. Many photos exclusive to book including rare guitars.

About the Author
Michael Simmons is a writer based in Northern California. He spent 15 years working at Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, California, where he learned a great deal about construction of all types of guitars, mandolins and banjos. Simmons is a frequent contributor to Acoustic Guitar Magazine.

Customer Reviews

A personal history
A very good over view of not only the business, but the man and his vision for the best acoustic guitar. Many of the names of people associated with Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug will surprise you. Many fabulous pictures of some beautiful and rare Taylor instruments, including a few home made models from his youth! Many helpful dates and side notes for the curious and the collector. I would highly recommend this for anyone serious about either Taylor guitars or acoustic guitars in general.

a dramatic tale with tantalizing photos
Superbly written and packed with intriguing historical photos, this 220-page coffee-table book tells how Kurt Listug and Bob Taylor met as struggling luthiers in a San Diego workshop and managed to create one of the world's preeminent guitar companies. It's a dramatic tale of economic hardship, disappointment, and eventual triumph over adversity. Guitar geeks will delight in details about tonewoods, tools, and manufacturing, while Taylor owners will appreciate the history of the various models and how they evolved from pencil-and-paper sketches into successful production instruments.

Taylor's extensive (and often humorous) quotes are particularly insightful. He credits other luthiers -- including James Goodall, John Carruthers, Jean Larrivée, and Augustino LoPrinzi -- for providing him with techniques and inspiration, and points to Tom Anderson as being the catalyst for Taylor's own pioneering work with computer-controlled milling machines. We learn how and why Taylor developed such radical innovations as the New Technology neck, finger-jointed headstock, UV-cured finish, and Expression System pickup, and get to ogle dozens of custom, celebrity edition, and one-of-a-kind instruments. More than a guitar book, this is a tale of two plucky pals, who, accompanied by a handful of bright and dedicated coworkers, learned to beat the odds and make their dreams come true.

Beautiful book, beautiful pictures
What a great book. A great story and well told. Wonderful pictures and high quality print and binding make this a must-have. As a former Taylor owner, I had lost touch with the brand, but this book made me appreciate Taylor Guitars and all they've done to get where they are. Finished it in a day