A Taylor contingent that included co-founders Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug traveled to the Summer NAMM 2010 show to meet our dealers, greet our fans, and share with all the “Taylor Experience.” What is the “Taylor Experience,” you ask? Well, at a trade show, it’s the fact that when you arrive in our showcase room, you’re welcome to pick up and play anything that’s on display. Heck, we encourage you to play through an amp, and for the electric fans, one of the most massive pedal boards is available for use. Bob and Kurt are also available to talk shop and take pictures. It’s a great way for us to get to know our fans better, and you us.

At this year’s show, held Friday, June 18 through Sunday, June 20, we launched our newest model: the GS Mini™. The Mini, which takes the signature GS shape and shrinks it down to an ultra-portable size, is just huge on tone. Everyone who played it was just astonished at the stage-worthy, big, bossy and bold sound this thing can produce. As for its portability, Bob put this guitar through the ultimate test, as he had one strapped to his back for most of his USO tour through Iraq with the Zac Brown Band. He called it his “travel buddy,” and while in the deserts of Iraq, it offered a quick way to pick up and play anywhere — and there were more than a few soldiers who enjoyed this opportunity!

Because the guitar has no on-board pickup or controls, we also introduced a pickup and cable at the show: the ES-Go™ and the V-Cable™. The ES-Go, available as an aftermarket pickup, fits into the soundhole by way of an interior clip. The endpin of this guitar can be unscrewed and replaced with a jack that plugs directly into the Go pickup, so there’s no cable hanging out of the soundhole. It’s discreet, seamless and takes less time to install than changing your strings and tuning your guitar! The V-Cable works with any guitar, and features a built-in volume pot that can turn all the way off, right by the plug. It’s so simple and elegant, yet totally practical for anyone to quickly swap out guitars and not have to walk back to the amp, or even worse, unplug and pop your amp.

 

Lots of famous faces stopped by the Taylor room during the show including: John Sebastian of The Lovin’ Spoonful, Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger, Jerry McPherson, legendary session player for the likes of Jewel, Faith Hill, Martina McBride, and others, along with Don Kelly of the Don Kelly Band and his guitar player, JD Simo, one of the most smokin’ players we’ve ever seen. Next time you’re in Nashville, be sure to find where the Don Kelly Band and JD are playing – not only can JD wail on a guitar, he’s also one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. Speaking of smokin’ guitar players, on Friday and Saturday of the show, longtime Taylor artist Doyle Dykes hung out in the Taylor room and even demoed the GS Mini for fans. We were able to capture some of his performance on an iPhone, and you can expect more videos to come. Bob Taylor, along with VP of Sales and Marketing Brian Swerdfeger, demoed the guitar for multitudes of fans, including the editors of Premier Guitar magazine, who named the new guitar and its accompanying components a highlight of the show.

Sunday of the show marked the first time that NAMM has opened the doors to the public. Billed as “Wanna Play Sunday,” enthusiastic fans had the chance to check out gear from their favorite manufacturers and attend seminars that included lots of Taylor flavor. Brian Swerdfeger presented “Tone, Tips and Tricks” for electric players, Director of Artist Relations Bob Borbonus served on a panel that addressed “How to Get Endorsed,” and Bob Taylor, too, participated in a question and answer session on building guitars.

In the next few weeks, we’ll be rolling out more product information, including videos of the GS Mini in action, courtesy of a few well-known friends. Until then, watch your mailbox for your copy ofWood&Steel, which has full details about the Mini, Es-Go and V-Cable.