Taylor Guitars: From The Factory

Andy Powers joins the podcast crew to talk about the Taylor American Dream Series, our latest offering of all-solid-wood guitars designed to meet musicians wherever they are. Cameron and Jay chat with Andy about the inspiration behind these new models and how we went about designing them before Andy gives us a live demo of an American Dream guitar.

Southern Ground is a famed recording studio in Nashville, Tennessee, and boasts an impressive catalogue of work, including albums by Dwight Yoakam, Kacey Musgraves, Zac Brown, the Foo Fighters, Neil Young and many other world-class artists. In this Bonus Episode, Cameron and Jay talk with the studio crew about their gear, their approach to recording, and the history of their venerable establishment.

Nashville producer and drummer David Huff sits down with Cameron and Jay to chat about his dad’s musical influence on his life and share stories of his career as a producer in one of the strongholds of American music.

Marty Dodson, songwriter and founder of musical collective SongTown, is no stranger to the world of Taylor, having been a part of our artist family for years. For this episode, Marty shares stories about his career as a songwriter, including the time he put a nail in the wall at home to save a place for the gold record he was determined to earn. Marty also reveals insights about the songwriting process and the parts that make a good song. 

Master guitar designer Andy Powers talks all things Builder's Edition, sharing the inspiration that brought this collection of comfortable, innovative guitars to life.

Cameron sits down with Grammy-winning producer/engineer Jacquire King (Kings of Leon, Tom Waits) to discuss his approach to recording. Jay and Cameron interview Nashville session ace Jerry McPherson (Tim McGraw and Faith Hill) about his journey from teenage session musician in Texas to one of Nashville’s most sought-after guitarists. Plus, Taylor’s Ryan McMullen demos the new V-Class 712ce.

Taylor CFO Barbara Wight stops in to talk about the early days at the ebony mill in Cameroon, her story of joining Taylor after retirement, and what it’s like to work alongside a guitar visionary like Bob Taylor.

Barenaked Ladies frontman Ed Robertson stopped by the Taylor factory this week, and we sat down for a special podcast chat on his career, writing the theme song for the hit TV show The Big Bang Theory, and where he’s headed next.

Pop and rock songstress Tiffany stops by the Taylor studio to talk about her career and continuing to pursue new musical ideas. Then, we chat with Taylor’s own Katrina Horstman about the Taylor factory experience and teaching people how we build guitars.

Beatie Wolfe, British songwriter and creator, joins the crew to talk about transforming music into innovative nontraditional formats. Then, we chat with Mojave Audio president Dusty Wakeman about working with country legends and building a career around the art of sound engineering.

Rich Casciato from Taylor Guitars stops by the studio again to talk about V-Class bracing in Grand Concert guitars and share a couple of his worst dad jokes. Next, filmmaker, photographer, and Saosin bassist Chris “Boosti” Sorensen makes his debut appearance on the podcast to talk about his trips to Cameroon, where he’s been directing a full-length documentary on the Ebony Project and sustainable forestry.

We talk about how Taylor creates new guitars with 16-year Taylor veteran Engineering Project Manager Crystal Lawrence, then chat with touring circuit pros Terry Myers and Glen Wolff about using DI boxes to get the perfect live tone.

The guys chat with Tracey and Vance Marino from the  to introduce their organization and talk about the process of writing music. Then, the hosts dig into Taylor’s new line of guitar picks with Chief Business Development Officer Keith Brawley.

We dive into our spring ebony replanting project with Scott Paul, Taylor’s Director of Natural Resource Sustainability. Artist relations pro Devin Malone makes his Taylor debut and chats about the Nashville music scene and cultivating relationships with new talent.

Hosts Cameron and Jay chat with Damian DeRobbio, production manager at San Diego’s Belly Up, one of the city’s best-loved concert venues. Chris Cosgove, the tonewood buyer for Taylor Guitars, stops by to provide insight into our wood sourcing process, and talks about close calls with falling trees and coral snakes in the jungle.

Cameron and Jay sit down with Andy Powers, master guitar designer and the architect behind the new Grand Pacific round-shoulder dreadnought, to talk acoustic inspiration, the power of V-Class bracing, design choices, and more.

Cameron and Jay talk to longtime Taylor photographer Tim Whitehouse on his last day before retirement before diving in to a conversation about guitar effects with Jeff and Jordyn from BOSS. This episode includes a demo of the Taylor V-Class 414ce.

In this episode, our hosts chat with Taylor artist Juno about launching her musical journey and her role on the popular Fox show, Empire. Cameron and Jay also talk guitar care with Customer Service Manager Glen Wolff and share updates from Summer NAMM 2018.

The guys are joined by Taylor District Sales Manager Rich Casciato, who shares his thoughts about what makes a great guitar collection and demos a 522ce 12-Fret. After that, Jonah Matranga, Taylor artist and member of Far and Onelinedrawing, stops by to chat about his solo work and reminisce about Far album Water & Solutions on its 20th anniversary.

In this conversation about Taylor’s latest efforts to create a more sustainable future, Bob Taylor joins Tony Polecastro, Cameron and Jay to share what he’s learned while working to transform an ebony sawmill business in Cameroon over six years. Bob talks about the challenges and progress along the way, his love of the Cameroonian people, and why standardization is the way out of chaos. He also explains why planting trees has become his mission, and sheds light on two current projects: an innovative ebony replanting program, and his work to plant a koa forest in Hawaii. As usual, Bob serves up a few nuggets of inspiring life wisdom along the way.

Taylor’s Director of Natural Resource Sustainability, Scott Paul, shares how an epiphany at a volcano in Costa Rica set him on a path that led him to the UN, the White House, Greenpeace, and Taylor Guitars. He also talks about the project that brought him together with Bob Taylor in Alaska, what sustainability actually means, and the work Taylor is doing to replant ebony in Cameroon and koa in Hawaii. It all starts with a killer guitar demo from Taylor’s Michael Lille, who plays an all-koa K24ce featuring Taylor’s V-Class bracing.

Award-winning soul-jazz singer-songwriter and community leader Steph Johnson not only left a solid job in banking to pursue a professional career in music, she also applied her musical talents to address the issues of homelessness. Steph talks about co-founding the Voices of Our City Choir for people experiencing homeless in her home town of San Diego.  

Unabashed guitar geek and veteran reviewer Tony Polecastro stops by the factory to share his take on V-Class bracing, demo a V-Class 914ce, and offer tips on how to test-drive a V-Class guitar.  Tony also recalls how his acoustic guitar obsession took root at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago and explains what Tony’s Acoustic Challenge is all about.

Taylor singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Elise Trouw chats with Cameron and Jay about her recent YouTube song mashup success. They talk about songwriting and live looping, and she plays a few songs on her T5z. 

Andy Powers, master guitar designer for Taylor, talks about introducing and our new at NAMM 2018, and demonstrates the new sonic power of V-Class with the new .

Taylor Guitars founders Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug share stories of the very beginning. They look back on early struggles, accomplishments, and why keeping guitars is bad for a luthier. 

Tara Low, founder of Guitar Girl Magazine, stops by to discuss why she started a specifically for women. Cameron demos the , a big-bodied maple/spruce acoustic with a dynamic response.

Monte Montefusco, Director of Sales for Taylor, appears in studio to discuss why many music careers begin during the holiday season. They also demo a and give tips and advice for anyone buying a guitar as a gift this season.

Marty Schwartz, the Internet’s most popular guitar teacher, joins Cameron and Jay to share tips for new guitar players of all ages and chat about sharing the stage with your heroes. The guys also demo the Taylor Academy 10e, the guitar everyone wishes they had when they started playing.

Taylor Service Network Manager Rob Magargal talks with Cameron and Jay about the fundamentals of guitar care and how humidity can affect your guitar. They also chat about setting up guitars and playing lefty. The guys also demo a from our line of koa guitars.

Cameron and Jay talk to Artist Relations Director Tim Godwin. They demo a 714ce WSB, talk about why Taylor doesn't pay artists for endorsements and Taylor's semi-secret location in Nashville. 

Cameron and Jay speak chat with 30 year Taylor vetran Terry Myers about special projects at Taylor, his own hand in starting Breedlove Guitars, and why the guitar can be more valuable than the family car. They also demo the 322ce 12-Fret, a small-bodied bluesy acoustic with a mahogany top. 

Cameron and Jay chat with Dan Boreham, Taylor's Europe Marketing Manager. They discuss why guitar stores are so important and they demo a sunburst version of the

Cameron and Jay discuss Road Shows with District Sales Manager JR Robison. JR demonstrates the and shares his stories about traveling to host the award-winning events.

Get to know Cameron and Jay as they discuss why it's time for a Taylor Guitars podcast.