Anyone seen Taylor Solidbodies for sale?
 

Besides on Reverb and Ebay.....

searchtempest.com

Rarely... and only used.

I have long thought that Taylor's electric guitar offerings were grossly dismissed and generally overlooked... there was a LOT to like about each of their more "electric" options, with many well-thought-out variations on "standard" electric guitars.

Early on, I had a chance to audition one of the walnut burl topped Custom solidbody... loved the sounds it made, loved the fit and finish, loved the playability... about the only thing that didn't "work" for me was the feel of the body against MY body. I ended up feeling they felt a lot like Les Paul Juniors or Melodymakers, and that size/shape body doesn't work for my carriage.

I had the one that was two small humbuckers, but I never got a chance to play any of the single-coil configuration models... the whole idea of interchangeable pickup "plates" seemed brilliant to me!

My electric guitar line-up is currently a mid-70's ES-175 Gibson and a "frankensteined" mid-70's ES-345... both guitars are really good ones, and fill pretty much my every need for an electric guitar - but, in the case of the 345, it has taken years of different modifications to get it where I wanted it.

I had one of the early T-5 Taylors, and I bought it specifically because I wanted the electric sounds it could make, via the Rupert Neve co-designed electronics. I was not disappointed; I found I could get darned near every electric guitar sound out of that thing, from Gibson humbucker to Fender single-coil to a nice Gretsch/Rickenbacker rhythm tone. The thing was a JOY to have on my shoulder at 4.4#s (and I remember this every time I heft my 345 to playing position!)...

Sold it last year; mostly because I just don't play electric guitar all that much these days, and the two I have had for longest more than sufficed - plus, I needed the $$$$.

But I still love that guitar (not for the acoustic tones, by the way) and remember it well.

I seem to recall that there was some issue with the bridge/tailpiece being irreplaceable yet would wear quickly... and I had an issue vol/tone controls on the "borrowed" Custom I had.... haven't heard any major issues with them other than that.

Should be able to find a good one for very little money, I should think...

Anyone seen Taylor Solidbodies for sale?
 

No Taylor comes cheap - you get what you pay for. Taylor solid body models were limited production guitars . Occasionally I see some on CL and they’re always in the $1k range and they always sell fast.

Owner of a 2007 first-batch Claro walnut Custom Solidbody here - a few caveats for potential buyers:

• In its quest for innovation in the electric arena comparable to that of their well-regarded acoustics, the Solidbody line was equipped with a number of critical parts that do not meet "standard" specifications; most notable/notorious among these is the aforementioned bridge assembly which, while substantial in appearance (and producing the characteristic Taylor "ring" for which their acoustics are noted), is extremely fragile. By way of information I've got 55+ years of experience under my belt, done my own basic setups (as well as several bandmates') for the last 40, and never had issues with any of the major (and a few minor) makers' hardware; in spite of the fact that I followed the enclosed instructions carefully, I managed to crack two bridge assemblies in the course of three years (not hard, since they're made of compressed powdered aluminum - lightweight and resonant, but zero durability factor) - and the authorized Taylor tech who installed the last one under warranty (I wasn't about to take the chance a third time) told me I got the very last one in factory inventory. In short: don't mess with it on your own, don't breathe on it, don't even look at it the wrong way, bring it to an authorized tech if you need adjustment - and hope that he/she doesn't wreck it in the process, since there's nothing else even remotely close that'll fit (retrofitting with a standard TOM/Fender hardtail will probably cost as much as an entire new guitar - filling the body cavity, refinishing, etc. - and good luck finding another one)...
• The electronics are as idiosyncratic as the hardware; while the mini-buckers look very much like Firebird pickups (and have a similarly crisp and focused tone) they're in no way interchangeable - and, like the bridge assembly, long out of production. In addition, they were equipped with a low-value fast-blow fuse wired into the control circuitry, to prevent shock in the event of poor grounding (FYI many of their acoustic-electrics used the same setup). Bad news is that they're a little too sensitive: if you live in an older house (or play a venue) without modern wiring you will blow the fuse - count on it - and while it allows you to keep playing you'll pick up hum and interference like a '50s single-coil guitar; I'm not even sure the required fuses are still available through the Taylorware shop (I bought a pack when I discovered this questionable little feature), and I heard that a couple guys made jumpers from a small piece of .017-018 guitar string which, while it defeats the purpose of the fuse, allows you to play noise-free with no more risk than a standard electric guitar. Since there are no questions of voiding the warranty on a used instrument, this might not be a bad way to go in the interest of convenience/reliability...

Aside from that, they're fine playing/sounding guitars that lend themselves well to a variety of styles, exceptionally lightweight on the strap (mine probably weighs no more than 5-1/2 pounds - about the same as a 17" jumbo acoustic) - and had Taylor been a little more mainstream in their choice of fittings (as they were with the T-3 hollowbody) they could have had a real winner on their hands... :(

I had one and spent a lot of effort collecting swap-able loaded pickguards. It was such a wonderful idea.

I loved the feel, size and playability. I prefer a slab-body solid.

I had two issues which took me away from these:

Steve's cautionary tale about the fragile tailpiece scared me massively. I spent a lot of research looking for replacements, just in case and there truly is nothing available and no close-enough aftermarket parts. If it breaks, your guitar is a goner (value-wise).

Mine had a ton of noise from my hands and a lot of cavity resonance from under the pickguard even with different loaded pickguard combinations.

Some folks may not mind this at all but I found it terribly distracting like hearing myself on a PA with a delay and messing me all up into stuttering. Hard to explain but that's how I felt.

I hoped the solid versions would eliminate this, but they are chambered also and they don't have the swap-able pickguards and they are still plagued with the tailpiece problem.

Sooooo, I got rid of two and several extra pickguards and went back to my vintage Gibson.

Besides these two and the afore posted Guitar Center......... how many used solid bodies would you like? :) I've never found there to be a shortage (usually the opposite) of used Taylor electrics both solid and semi-solid models.

A couple solid bodies on Craigslist near me. One has been for sale for a long time. Both are sub-$700.

It’s hard to see getting one when Taylor no longer makes the parts you need to repair it. Maybe this was a case of Taylor trying too hard to be in control of everything. People like to mod their guitars easily, and even more we like to easily repair what is broken.

must be getting rare as i checked all around the l.a. area and not one for sale. you may want to put a want to buy listing.

play music!

I recently purchased one used from Guitar Center. It was an impulse buy. I just couldn't get over how great the neck felt/played.
After reading Steve's comment, (he posted similar info on my NGD thread) and doing some research of my own, I decided that I wasn't comfortable gigging a guitar with proprietary parts that are no longer in production. I returned the Taylor.
It really is a shame. It was light, sounded good and played great. I wouldn't mind finding a similar guitar with more traditional parts.