buddiesorg
08-11-2002, 08:53 AM
You might think it was getting to choose my own wood ... I'll be getting a 810 Master Grade Cocobolo with sitka top, 900 inlay (not Cindy, thankfully). Yes, it was neat getting to choose wood with "The Man" himself ... but I'd be happy to just having him or his knowledgeable staff choose one for me.
Or even the Brazilian grading talk he promised me last year in an e-mail he had written while we were corresponding concerning the PS-15 (this was awhile before the famous "no" post ... so I knew what he was basically going to say). I had pretty much forgotten all about it ... well, not really forgotten about it ... mostly put it out of my mind since I'm not looking for a Brazilian guitar at the moment and it's not reasonable to think to take up his valuable time to give me a talk about it. But that's just the person he is.
No, the greatest moment happened because of a thought I've had off and on for several years. The first time it happened was back in 1998 when I took the tour while I had a pickup put in my K-22 and saw "The Man" on the Factory floor for the first time. And then I thought about it again when I bought my first Goodall while the Goodalls were personally in the shop and I took a picture with both of them with my new guitar. And I got the thought several times in 2001 before and while the PS-15 was getting built and I saw Mr. Taylor at the Factory ... but I just never brought it up because I thought it was unreasonable.
Yesterday, I brought a few guitars (I know ... gasp ... she actually took guitars out of the house and encouraged a few to play them?) ... I brought the 655 mainly to let JR see what the LKSM strings would sound like on a maple. And I brought the NS to let people have a try at the extra high tension Savarez strings (I had in my mind at least JR and tvkruzan ... who wouldn't even try it). Lastly, I brought the GA-BE. I used it to stumble through a song during open mic night (they called me a couple times, but I didn't hear as I was with Ed Alves getting my order put together :) ). I used the guitar (though I forgot in my nervousness to mention the significance) to compose and perform the song because this was my 5th wedding anniversary present from my husband and the song I wrote was a song I had written for today, our 12th wedding anniversary. The song has not been played on any other guitar, and probably never will.
But the highlight for me happened after things started winding down. My dream was that I'd one day show Bob Taylor my very first Taylor ... the Taylor I had gotten when my response to "Why don't you try a Taylor?" was "Taylor? Don't they make golf clubs?" ... the one that started it all and is still the best sounding Taylor I've ever had ... and I'd get to take a picture of him holding it. So weeks ago I decided that I'd at least bring it to the event so just in case I had a chance, I'd ask him. So, out in the shipping area I handed him my GA-BE and got ready to take a couple quick photos. To my surprise (but maybe it shouldn't have ... I do it almost every time I take it out), he sat down with it, and looked at it, and then proceeded to play it! I really should have kept my mouth shut and just let him play, but I was so excited that I just kept asking him what he thought of it. I don't know if he was just being polite (though I've never known him not to speak his mind), but he did say it looked and sounded nice.
If nothing else happened this weekend, my dream sure came true in that moment ... it felt like a guitar had come home after a seven year trip ... and the master craftsman who designed it reunited with his work.
Or even the Brazilian grading talk he promised me last year in an e-mail he had written while we were corresponding concerning the PS-15 (this was awhile before the famous "no" post ... so I knew what he was basically going to say). I had pretty much forgotten all about it ... well, not really forgotten about it ... mostly put it out of my mind since I'm not looking for a Brazilian guitar at the moment and it's not reasonable to think to take up his valuable time to give me a talk about it. But that's just the person he is.
No, the greatest moment happened because of a thought I've had off and on for several years. The first time it happened was back in 1998 when I took the tour while I had a pickup put in my K-22 and saw "The Man" on the Factory floor for the first time. And then I thought about it again when I bought my first Goodall while the Goodalls were personally in the shop and I took a picture with both of them with my new guitar. And I got the thought several times in 2001 before and while the PS-15 was getting built and I saw Mr. Taylor at the Factory ... but I just never brought it up because I thought it was unreasonable.
Yesterday, I brought a few guitars (I know ... gasp ... she actually took guitars out of the house and encouraged a few to play them?) ... I brought the 655 mainly to let JR see what the LKSM strings would sound like on a maple. And I brought the NS to let people have a try at the extra high tension Savarez strings (I had in my mind at least JR and tvkruzan ... who wouldn't even try it). Lastly, I brought the GA-BE. I used it to stumble through a song during open mic night (they called me a couple times, but I didn't hear as I was with Ed Alves getting my order put together :) ). I used the guitar (though I forgot in my nervousness to mention the significance) to compose and perform the song because this was my 5th wedding anniversary present from my husband and the song I wrote was a song I had written for today, our 12th wedding anniversary. The song has not been played on any other guitar, and probably never will.
But the highlight for me happened after things started winding down. My dream was that I'd one day show Bob Taylor my very first Taylor ... the Taylor I had gotten when my response to "Why don't you try a Taylor?" was "Taylor? Don't they make golf clubs?" ... the one that started it all and is still the best sounding Taylor I've ever had ... and I'd get to take a picture of him holding it. So weeks ago I decided that I'd at least bring it to the event so just in case I had a chance, I'd ask him. So, out in the shipping area I handed him my GA-BE and got ready to take a couple quick photos. To my surprise (but maybe it shouldn't have ... I do it almost every time I take it out), he sat down with it, and looked at it, and then proceeded to play it! I really should have kept my mouth shut and just let him play, but I was so excited that I just kept asking him what he thought of it. I don't know if he was just being polite (though I've never known him not to speak his mind), but he did say it looked and sounded nice.
If nothing else happened this weekend, my dream sure came true in that moment ... it felt like a guitar had come home after a seven year trip ... and the master craftsman who designed it reunited with his work.