In 1974 Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug bought the American Dream, a small San Diego guitar building company where they were both working at the time. Like many young men in that period, Taylor and Listug had dreams of making their marks as luthiers. But unlike all of those other aspiring builders, Taylor and Listug were able to take a tiny workshop and turn it into one of the most successful guitar companies in American musical history. Taylor Guitars: 30 Years of a New American Classic tells the story of how Taylor and Listug took the American Dream and transformed it into a company that produces more than 70,000 high-quality guitars a year. This book features dozens of full-color photographs of many rare guitars including instruments Bob Taylor built before the company's founding, standard production models (including the acoustic bass and the new nylon string series), custom-built instruments, and special celebrity models.

The inside story of the founding and growth of Taylor Guitars, one of the world's most successful guitar manufacturers Bob Taylor mixes the details of his experience as a tradesman and cofounder of Taylor Guitars, a world-famous acoustic and electric guitar manufacturer, with philosophical life lessons that have practical application for building a business. From the “a-ha” moment in junior high school that inspired his very first guitar, Taylor has been living the American dream, crafting quality products with his own hands and building a successful, sustainable business. In Guitar Lessons, he shares the values that he lives by and that have provided the foundation for the company’s success. Be inspired by a story of guts and gumption, an unwavering commitment to quality, and the hard lessons that made Taylor Guitars the company it is today.

THE TAYLOR GUITAR BOOK: 40 YEARS OF GREAT AMERICAN FLATTOPS

(Strum It (Guitar)). This e-songbook features authentic chords, strum patterns, melody and lyrics for 17 complete songs, all in their original keys! Includes these Taylor Swift favorites: Back to December * Eyes Open * Fearless * Fifteen * Love Story * Mean * Should've Said No * Speak Now * The Story of Us * Teardrops on My Guitar * White Horse * You Belong with Me * and more.

(Strum & Sing Guitar). A baker's dozen of Taylor's finest presented in arrangements of guitar chords and lyrics. Includes: Back to December * Blank Space * Everything Has Changed * I Knew You Were Trouble * Love Story * Mean * Safe & Sound * Shake It Off * Teardrops on My Guitar * We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together * White Horse * Wildest Dreams * You Belong with Me.

(Piano/Vocal/Guitar Artist Songbook). A collection of 34 of his best, with chords and notation: Anywhere like Heaven * Blossom * The Blues Is Just a Bad Dream * Brighten Your Night with My Day * Carolina in My Mind * Chili Dog * Country Road * Dance * Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight * Don't Talk Now * Fanfare * Fire and Rain * Fool for You * Handy Man * Hymn * Knocking 'round the Zoo * Little David * Lo and Behold * Mescalito * New Tune * Night Owl * Nobody But You * Oh Baby Don't Loose Your Lip on Me * One Man Parade * Rainy Day Man * Something in the Way She Moves * Something's Wrong * Steamroller (Steamroller Blues) * Suite for 20g * Sunny Skies * Sunshine, Sunshine * Sweet Baby James * Taking It In * Woh, Don't You Know.

(Guitar Play-Along). The Guitar Play-Along series will help you play your favorite songs quickly and easily! Just follow the tab, listen to the audio to hear how the guitar should sound, and then play along using the separate backing tracks. The melody and lyrics are also included in case you want to sing, too, or to simply help you follow along. 8 songs: Better Than Revenge * Fifteen * Love Story * Mine * Our Song * Teardrops on My Guitar * White Horse * You Belong with Me. NOTE: This special edition Guitar Play-Along volume includes vocals on the audio as well.

This book is for experienced luthiers and guitar designers in the industry, novice builders wishing to improve their designs, and guitar owners interested in knowing more about their instruments. It includes the most important technical information gathered from many sources, including the academic literature and the author’s own work, presented here in a clear, actionable form with a minimum of mathematics. The book begins with a historical survey on how important features of the acoustic guitar evolved over centuries. The review leads up to a chapter focusing on three iconic instruments that represent the most important types of acoustic guitars: classical, steel string flat top and archtop. As the guitar market is so strongly conditioned by familiar, traditional instruments, a successful builder must have a thorough working understanding of the most important designs to underpin their own work. Through this volume, Professor French lays out the entire design process and collects detailed information in one convenient source. Luthiers quite often compile notebooks of measurements, part numbers, specific design features and other details they routinely need. This book organizes much of that information, with tables of dimensions, material properties, and other details in one essential final chapter. The book also features concise side bar contributions by top guitar designers and builders including Tim Shaw, Chief Engineer at Fender Music; Bob Taylor, Co-Founder of Taylor Guitars; and Andy Powers, Master Guitar Designer and Partner.

Martin Taylor's 3 in 1 Jazz Guitar Method Compilation Three best-selling jazz guitar books in one definitive edition Beyond Chord Melody Walking Bass for Jazz Guitar Single Note Soloing for Jazz Guitar Never before has so much jazz guitar insight been gathered together in one volume. With almost 300 pages and hundreds of musical examples, Martin Taylor takes you on a journey through his virtuoso approaches to chord melody guitar, combining basslines with chords, and how to really solo like a jazz guitar icon.

Growing from a small custom shop in the early 1970s to the only new brand to have challenged the traditional Big Three of American acoustic guitars (Gibson, Guild, and Martin), Taylor has effectively changed the marketplace for acoustic steel-string guitars and influenced every other maker of acoustic stringed instruments. But Taylor's influence in the guitar market goes far beyond the guitars themselves. Having pioneered the use of modern building techniques – such as utilizing CNC machines, UV-finishing, etc. – the company has been an undisputed leader when it comes to innovation. Taylor's latest efforts are concentrated on wood conservation, and again, the company is setting the example that the industry is following. The Taylor Guitar Book combines a historical story line with useful hands-on information about model changes over the years – to help readers learn how to identify and date a Taylor – and features shop and factory photos (both historical and current) as well as full-color images of guitars.