Build Thread: David Taylor De La Rosa (African Blackwood / Swiss Moon Spruce)

[jonathanvaljean]

I played my first David Taylor guitar (“DT Guitars”) at Dream Guitars just last August. Although I did not buy that wonderful new Mahogany / Port Orford Cedar guitar, because I was so impressed by it, I vowed to keep my eyes open for a used DT. Amazingly, within a few days, I came across the “loaded” Brescia constructed of Amazon rosewood and Carpathian spruce that is pictured below. Blown away by its beauty and certain that the tone would be remarkable, I purchased it without hesitation.





When the Brescia arrived, I could scarcely believe how well it projected… Playing her fingerstyle--even very lightly--saturated my music room with beautiful tone. Further, whereas most guitars seem to have a single voice when played, this one sounded as though a chorus of angels were singing… Whereas most guitars are in mono, this one was in stereo. I wanted another one!

So, I called David Taylor to discuss a potential build. What an incredibly nice guy! From the start, speaking with him has been an absolute pleasure; he is a wonderful, humble Southern gentleman who exudes great passion for the art of handcrafting guitars. It has been a joy to get to know him during the course of the past nine months.

Although my build was originally slated for October of 2011, David contacted me in the middle of May and informed me that I could take the newly vacated build slot for June if I wanted. Of course I wanted it! Yes! I have been meaning to create this build thread for a couple of weeks, but, between moving and then hitting the road to visit family some 700 miles away, I haven’t been able to do so until now.

Without further ado, the specs for my David Taylor build are as follows:

· Model: De La Rosa (Grand Concert size)
· Back/Sides: African Blackwood
· Soundboard: Swiss Moon Spruce
· Neck: 7-piece with Curly Maple and Ebony
· Fingerboard: Ebony (Blank)
· Headstock: African Blackwood
· Backstrap: African Blackwood
· Body, Fretboard, and Headstock Bindings: Flamed Maple
· Rosette: African Blackwood/Flamed Maple/African Blackwood
· Rosette Binding: African Blackwood
· Nut Width: 1 3/4"
· Nut and Saddle: Giraffe Bone
· Tuners: Gold Gotoh 510s with Ebony Buttons
· Sound Port: Celtic Knot in Flamed Maple bound in African Blackwood

Below are a few pictures of the blossoming De La Rosa:

[colins]

Congratulations on the build...LOVE that blackwood!

Col

[Lonerstoner]

Swiss moon spruce is the coolest sounding wood name I've heard of!

[drcmusic7]

Congrats, Jonathan! You are correct in your description of David. He's a world class guy who builds outstanding instruments. I have played your current DT and remember it well. You are a blessed man. My wife and I are actually going to be stopping by his house this Friday night. Maybe i'll get to see your new guitar in person...

Hope to see more photos too...

Kindly,
Danny

[jonathanvaljean]

Originally Posted by colins

Congratulations on the build...LOVE that blackwood!

Col

Thanks so much, Col!

Originally Posted by Lonerstoner

Swiss moon spruce is the coolest sounding wood name I've heard of!

Ha, ha! Not only does the spruce have a cool name, but it generally makes for an outstanding soundboard.

Originally Posted by drcmusic7

Congrats, Jonathan! You are correct in your description of David. He's a world class guy who builds outstanding instruments. I have played your current DT and remember it well. You are a blessed man. My wife and I are actually going to be stopping by his house this Friday night. Maybe i'll get to see your new guitar in person...

Hope to see more photos too...

Kindly,
Danny

Danny,

You nailed it: Outstanding instruments by a world-class gentleman! That is so cool that you played my Brescia... I like it so much that I sold off several other more expensive instruments because they really couldn't hold a candle to her! It truly does sound as though a choir is singing when I play her. I feel so blessed to have found this very special guitar.

No way! You're visiting with David Friday night--correction: tonight! That's wonderful. I hope that you have a great visit; tell my nascent DT hello for me.

Sincerely,

Jonathan

[MikeMcKee]

I own a De La Rosa in African Blackwood and Carpathian Spruce. Amazing guitar, extremely well balanced and great volume and projection from a smaller body. Build quality and craftsmanship absolutely second to none. Congrats on the build, I'm sure you're going to be very happy with it.

[jonathanvaljean]

Originally Posted by MikeMcKee

I own a De La Rosa in African Blackwood and Carpathian Spruce. Amazing guitar, extremely well balanced and great volume and projection from a smaller body. Build quality and craftsmanship absolutely second to none. Congrats on the build, I'm sure you're going to be very happy with it.

Greetings from a fellow David Taylor guitars owner and enthusiast! I second your thoughts regarding build quality and craftsmanship--they are of the highest caliber!

[jonathanvaljean]

[drcmusic7]

Originally Posted by jonathanvaljean

Danny,

You nailed it: Outstanding instruments by a world-class gentleman! That is so cool that you played my Brescia... I like it so much that I sold off several other more expensive instruments because they really couldn't hold a candle to her! It truly does sound as though a choir is singing when I play her. I feel so blessed to have found this very special guitar.

No way! You're visiting with David Friday night--correction: tonight! That's wonderful. I hope that you have a great visit; tell my nascent DT hello for me.

Sincerely,

Jonathan

Hi Jonathan,

Your new photos look great but after seeing your guitar in person on Friday they don't do it justice. David is truly building you a wonderful guitar. You're a lucky man because it's going to be a stunning guitar in all regards. The tone he's getting is just spectacular. My DT parlor is one inspiring instrument and I think your De La Rosa will be too.

Kindly,
Danny

[pepperboy]

It's threads like this that give me GAS... Really nothing quite like seeing a guitar in it's raw state and so full of craftsmanship and beauty as seen here. A guitar that I would otherwise not even know existed... and here I am wondering how I could ever live without one just like it!

Awesome!

[jonathanvaljean]

Originally Posted by drcmusic7

Hi Jonathan,

Your new photos look great but after seeing your guitar in person on Friday they don't do it justice. David is truly building you a wonderful guitar. You're a lucky man because it's going to be a stunning guitar in all regards. The tone he's getting is just spectacular. My DT parlor is one inspiring instrument and I think your De La Rosa will be too.

Kindly,
Danny

Danny,

Whew! You're killing me, here! I won't be able to see her in person until next week... Congratulations on your DT parlor! I imagine that it is stellar... Of what woods is it constructed?

Originally Posted by pepperboy

It's threads like this that give me GAS... Really nothing quite like seeing a guitar in it's raw state and so full of craftsmanship and beauty as seen here. A guitar that I would otherwise not even know existed... and here I am wondering how I could ever live without one just like it!

Awesome!

Thanks so much for your compliments! I'll be sure to pass them along to David. Speaking of David, perhaps you should consider a build with him... I can virtually guarantee that you wouldn't be disappointed. On the contrary, I think that you would be overjoyed upon receiving your new tone machine...

[jonathanvaljean]

[Kyle76]

The contrasts of light and dark woods is amazing! Love the sound hole. This will be a show stopper.

[GutFiddler]

Beautiful.. Nice work

[Dru Edwards]

Stunning guitar! So only one week left before you can try it out???? Make sure you post your thoughts when you get a chance to play it.

Congrats! I'm going to check out Dave's website now ... just googled it http://www.dtguitars.com/. (I hope that's the right one).