Fall G uys Andy Powers and Larry Breedlove dream up the Fall LTDs Sonia Leigh The Script Javier Colon & Vicci Martinez from The Voice Find Your Fit 2 www.taylorguitars.com This time Taylor technician Sam and we had walked through some much for my smallish hands and arms. Eakins serviced both of my guitars. amazing forests of spruce and cedar, There was nothing to do but sell the Great guy to talk with and a great so there was a sense of at least part guitar and give up this wonderful musi- Letters technician. We put heavier gauge of the guitar returning home. Kurt said cal hobby. strings on the 510 and tuned it to that he had a guitar at home (coastal Lo and behold, I came across In October 1999 an epic hurricane, D rather than E, allowing me to play Washington State) but had never many rave reviews of the GS Mini. It Mitch, devastated the area with more it as a 12-fret by using the capo on had one at his cabin in Alaska, and occurred to me that a smaller guitar than one meter of rainfall. In Novem- the second fret. Sam did the same proceeded to beautifully sing a few might improve the situation, but I need- ber of that year I wrote a song where I to the NS54ce. I played many of the songs. ed to try a guitar for several days and took the viewpoint of a villager watch- new models, including several 12-fret The guitar really added to the find a left-handed model to boot. I am ing his town being swept away by the guitars. I love them and the attention spirit and sense of community on this new to Taylor, but I have always heard mountain flood waters. Taylor pays to detail. Thanks for the retreat. Kurt was clearly taken with this of their quality build and their musical- In 2008 our NWS office held guitars and the great technicians you small guitar that was still a pleasure ity. When I heard that Taylor came out an open house. My co-worker Chris send out. to play, and which had a top of local with a lefty Mini, I contacted Southpaw Strong, singer Lisa Dougherty and I Don Wright wood. In the end, I decided that the Guitars in Texas and took the plunge. performed an hour-long show, “Weath- guitar should stay there, and gave it Now, after two straight weeks of er in Music and Prose,” comprised of to Kurt. I will enjoy thinking about oth- playing, I have had no recurrence of weather-related music and poetry, with Soothing Sounds ers hearing its sound in the amazing pain and am thoroughly enjoying this PowerPoint presentations displayed My name is Marco and I work for beauty of that place surrounded by a guitar. The build quality is excellent, the behind us while we played, dealing the Moline Fire Department in Moline, spruce forest. playability terrific, and my mood greatly with the theme of each song. We did IL. Our job is very demanding, and The point of all this is to thank you improved. Thanks to everyone involved Backwards Guitar a number of covers but also included we see a lot of very bad things. While for the guitar, and also to note that, in making these fine instruments. You In the [summer] issue, the finger- a few originals, including my song trying to deal with the emotions that despite the enthusiasm for the GS have really added to my days. board diagrams in Wayne Johnson’s “Mitchell.” Two towns I feature promi- go along with responding to these Mini, there is still a place for the Jay Peters article about playing scales appear nently in PowerPoint are La Ceiba and calls, my fellow brothers and I all have smaller guitar. to have been rotated 180 degrees. San Pedro Sula, which are chronicled hobbies. I play my 1999 Taylor 914c. John Eckstein It took me a few seconds to realize in your article. Given the destruction As a longtime Taylor player, I wanted Classical Spark that his approach to scales was not that occurred 12 years ago, it is great to thank you guys for such fine gui- I have played guitar since I was as radical as it first appeared. I made to see the economic recovery. tars and for helping me deal with bad For Pete’s Sake very young, beginning with rock and copies of the diagrams and flipped Andy Woodcock times. You have a great dealer in Hono- jazz. As I grew older I turned to softer, them — it was much easier to deal with Ashburn, VA Marco Leone lulu. Island Guitars has served my “unplugged” music. A few years ago, upside-down numbers than misori- guitar needs for the past decade, and I decided to learn classical. I let my ented diagrams. Pete, their repair guy, is fantastic! I nails grow and ventured into the Thanks for the interview with Ruthie Fit to Be Tried Baby Comes Home have now purchased a total of five arena of Bach, Sor and others. As the Foster. She is one of my favorites. I’ve missed the last few times Since 1992 I have purchased a Taylors from Pete, and he has set up years passed, so did my enthusiasm. Max Honn that Taylor was in Austin for a Road 512, Baby, 555, T5 and GS Mini. I got and done the occasional repair on all Knowing that I needed a new spark, I Show or similar event, but I was able the Baby the first year you made them, of them. I could not be happier with recently purchased a Taylor NS34ce. Ed. Note: Several folks wrote in with to attend the Find Your Fit event at as I really liked the idea of a small, the quality of information in the sales I am so pleased with my decision. I’ve a similar observation. We should Austin Bazaar today (8/11/11). JR was “go-anywhere” guitar, and then bought process or the quality of service in had the guitar for about a month and have run a note to properly set up an excellent representative and was the GS Mini, well, just because. setup and repair. I picked up my T5 devote approximately two hours each the unorthodox nature of Wayne’s very patient with me as we surveyed We planned a trip to Alaska from Pete yesterday — after a problem day to my music. I absolutely love the notation, as he presented it this way the Taylor body styles and types that I for 17 days this summer, centered with the selector switch and a loose challenges faced by classical guitar intentionally. He explains: “I chose don’t already own (I have a Baby and a around a seven-day kayaking spiritual pickup wire — and Pete helped me players, and truly enjoy my “medita- the reverse approach because this is 714ce). It was transformational to get retreat near Petersburg in Southeast understand what happened. Then we tion” time with the guitar. I am thrilled the exact perspective a student has my hands on a Baritone and the GS, Alaska. The retreat was run jointly by ran it through its paces to make sure with my Taylor; it fits me very well, at a lesson while he/she is listening, and I was sorely tempted by the T3 and Inside Passages (Kurt Hoelting) and the electronics were working to my plays and sounds wonderful, and looks visualizing and trying to absorb not T5 that found their way into my hands the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Kurt satisfaction before I left the store. The awesome! Thank you and your staff only shapes and patterns, but even the as well. The hands-on demo of the T5 is a remarkable person who is a Har- only place I have had that kind of treat- for their devotion to craftsmanship and proper string order from low to high. was especially informative, and it gave vard Divinity School graduate, author, ment was at my old Mercedes Benz quality, and thank you for the “spark.” I started writing diagrams this way me all sorts of ideas as to how to put teacher, guide, and former minister and dealer before they were swallowed Scott K. Smith because it seems to help my students that model to use. commercial fisherman. up by a big car conglomerate. Thanks relate much faster as they look at a So, thank you to Austin Bazaar I decided that I would really like to for the good training and excellent diagram and then watch my demon- for hosting the event, and to Taylor have a guitar along for this, and in the products you provide for Pete at Island stration of it, since both views are the for sending your people out into the end decided that the original Baby Guitars, and for the amazing instru- identical perspective. And in this case, field to educate and tempt those of us was just more portable. The worship/ ments you make. I knew I would also be presenting a who need that personal touch when it spiritual part of our retreat involved George Benda companion video, so I was striving for comes to choosing the next guitar(s) some silence (not much use for a gui- consistency. Depending on the feed- for our arsenal! tar) and some singing, where it was back, I’m open to changing it next time Jay Clement really a happy addition to the group.