Has Taylor got a Surprise coming?
I went to a concert in the San Diego area tonight by Alison Brown. After intermission Andy Powers from Taylor joined her for a couple of songs and he was playing an archtop! Didn’t look like any Taylor that I’ve ever seen and I can’t imagine he’d be playing anything but a Taylor. Hmmmm.
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Probably one of his own. He made archtops prior to joining Taylor.
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Ahh, that would explain it. It was an absolutely stunning instrument. |
Could happen, since Andy's got the hands-on know-how and Bob T. is always looking for new avenues to pursue. If you think about it all the necessary elements are there: the basic body (-12 for the David Rawlings fans, -14 in the early 16" L-5 mold. and the retired -15 for a classic 17-incher) and neck ('90s pre-NT) patterns, the woods (Andy's done some great things with maple, and they control their own ebony sourcing), a dedicated workforce, and the innovative spirit to develop the technology that will allow them to get it done, at a street price that could put a domestically-produced all-solid archtop within reach of anyone considering a mid-line flattop from one of the other "Big Three" makers - and if they ever decide to introduce a "100/200-Series" or "Academy" no-frills/solid-top-only 15"/16"version akin to the low-end prewar Gibsons/Epiphones, they may well have another GS Mini success story on their hands...
Anyone else on board...? :guitar: |
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It would be nice, but is there that much demand?
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I've been waiting for Taylor to build an archtop since at least 2002. CNC would be the perfect machine to innovate the process to carve the tops and backs...and last I saw, Taylor has a few of those CNC's laying around. :roll:
Archtop, Archtop, Archtop! |
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All of these instruments are readily available brand-new, at a variety of price points... Known plenty of archtop players during my lifetime (come to think of it, isn't this the AGF Archtop subforum? :confused: )... Godin's 5th Avenue - a latter-day rendition of the student Harmony and Kay archtops of the mid-1900's - enjoys steady (if not overwhelming) sales and a loyal following, and if you're a serious player in almost any genre you need one of these little $500 comp boxes in your collection, period... Guild saw fit to introduce the $1200 A-150 Savoy several years ago, as a Working Joe/Jane's jazzbox in the mold of the club-players'/teachers' dual-purpose instruments of the postwar period - and there's a long-standing rumor of a full-depth/all-acoustic A-50 (based on the current T-50 platform) waiting in the wings... Eastman and Loar - the only viable options in a wallet-friendly all-solid-carved factory guitar - seem to have no problem selling their wares, in spite of the sometimes-iffy QC of the latter... The next step up puts you well over $4K if you're looking for a brand-new instrument - and if you see a nice non-cutaway pre-1960 Gibson or New York Epiphone in the $2500+/- range (yes. they're out there) grab it now, 'cause it won't be there long... There's a demand... :guitar: |
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