The Taylor Neck Anatomy of a pitch-perfect design Rosewood Revisited The redesigned 700 Series Doobie Brother Pat Simmons Acoustic fingerstyle meets classic rock Dynamic Dreadnoughts 7 must-play models Baritone Basics Expand your musical palette 2 www.taylorguitars.com | dreamed of being involved with forest home I like to play and write with 11s. VOLUME 85 SUMMER 2016 development/management in the way So my answer? Buy another Taylor! I’m Full Recovery Taylor Guitars has been. thinking a new 710e or maybe even Letters The attached photo is of my 2014 First Edition 810e, just as it was Your response to Mr. McKee’s 810e... I’m a sucker for a dreadnought found, 13 days after our home was burglarized and it was stolen. I live in > CONTENTS < Find us on Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube. Follow us on Twitter: @taylorguitars inquiries re-affirmed everything I’ve and love the rosewood/spruce combo. Concord, Vermont, way up in the northeast corner of our state and just ever believed about our inherent I’m very excited for my next purchase! across the Connecticut River from Littleton, New Hampshire. Northern responsibility for good stewardship of Keep making these amazing instru- Lights Music in Littleton is where I fell in love with this guitar and purchased these precious natural resources. Good ments — I’m a fan and Taylor emissary it. Dan and Moocho Salomon at Northern Lights were phenomenal, as stewardship does not mean we — as for life. always, and their beautiful shop is a perfect place for a guitar nut to get lost the human beings whose lives and Kirk O’Brien FEATURES COLUMNS in. All was well until our home was burglarized and the perpetrators stole my futures actually depend on the way we Taylor. I lost a huge piece of who I am that day. I just knew I’d never see my manage and use these amazing gifts 6 BARITONE BASICS 4 KURT’S CORNER of the natural world — should be forced Part of the Family Looking to add new dimensions to your music? Our rich-voiced Remembering how Prince helped to abandon all use of them. As you’ve Thanks for sending the latest baritones make a versatile — and surprisingly accessible — utility put Taylor on the map. succinctly pointed out, that would Wood&Steel. I bought my Taylor clas- instrument. surely do no good for the people in sical about seven years ago, and every Cameroon whose lives depend on this day I appreciate it more. I searched for work. Good stewardship means that we a classical for a long time, and when I 5 BOBSPEAK More progress in Cameroon, and balance our uses with sound forestry encountered the Taylor’s thinner neck 10 THE WOOD&STEEL INTERVIEW: drawing inspiration from Jack Daniel’s. and management practices, both to and the cutaway, allowing me to reach PAT SIMMONS True Love protect the continued viability of existing higher frets, I knew it was for me. In The Doobie Brothers co-founder shares his love of fingerstyle I have been a musician all my life. resources and ensure that our children other words, perfect for an electric jazz guitar and explains his evolving playing approach within the I have performed all over the U.S. and and grandchildren have even more/ guitarist transitioning to Brazilian and legendary band. 33 THE CRAFT played many guitars. I have always greater opportunities to do the same. Classical. I thought I would never buy Exploring the musical phenomenon wanted a Taylor but could not seem to If someone out there can come up a guitar from a factory without playing of sympathetic resonance. raise enough money for one. In the last with a better way to do this than Taylor it first in a guitar shop, but I learned I few years I’ve been performing on a has been doing, I’m all ears, and I’m could adjust it to my specifications with modified Martin copy and had put Taylor sure you would be too. In the meantime, the Taylor-approved repair people in in the back of my mind until I came keep up the good work, as your town. I’ve had to repair a couple of roll- across an issue of Wood&Steel. company shows the world how great ers, and Taylor always sent me the parts 810 again. I went to see Dan and Moocho. We mourned the loss and hoped Last year was rough for my family, guitars should be made...and enjoyed. free of charge the next day. for the best. The days ticked by. The Vermont State Police and the Essex and finances were thin. I thought of Mark R. Wietstock (816ce) I’m writing now because of your County Sheriff’s Department had been working this case extremely thor- DEPARTMENTS putting the guitar down all together. magazine. This is not only a high-quality oughly and aggressively. On the morning of January 20, I received a phone ON THE COVER On Valentine’s Day 2016 I woke up production, but getting it delivered year call at work. “Tim, this is [Vermont State Police Trooper] Shawn (McGarvin)... 8 ASK BOB from a dream of writing new songs Ol’ Thunderbox after year makes me feel like Taylor are you sitting down? We have recovered your guitar, and it appears to be in 14 on a Taylor. When I went to my home I stumbled upon the third Taylor I did not forget about me and will take THE TAYLOR NECK Fret wear, Douglas fir, and humidifying fine condition.” I could not believe it! The “reunion” took place right in the evi- Our patented neck joint has helped make Taylor necks the gold studio I couldn’t believe my eyes. A bought, a used 2002 710ce, quite a care of my guitar needs into the future. with gig bags versus hard cases. dence room, and I was just overwhelmed with emotion. As I began picking a standard of playability. The secret: easy, precise adjustability. Taylor 114ce was on a stand in front few years ago at a guitar shop here in Thanks for the good work and excellent little “Wildwood Flower,” the tears flowed, followed by a huge grin. As I was Here’s why your guitar’s long-term outlook is rosy. of my desk. My wife told me to never San Diego. I’d always wanted a Taylor service. stumbling for words to thank these fine officers for their hard work, Trooper stop playing no matter what! I love this for myself (my first two were Baby Bill Cohen 28 TAYLOR NOTES McGarvin replied, “That big ol’ grin on your face is all the thanks we need.” COVER PHOTO: A NECK MEETS THE BODY OF A NEW 710E guitar! Thank you, Taylor, for such quality Taylors for my daughters, one a lefty. I’ve Woodland Hills, CA My guitar had been located a few miles in on a back (dirt) road. The Bob Taylor invests in ebony research, and craftsmanship! I am 100 percent since bought another Baby for my third criminals got scared when they realized what they had stolen. They couldn’t rosewood joins the 400s, a gorgeous inspired again. I’m now saving up to get daughter). pawn it, nor could they take it to any music shop in New England. The state layered maple special edition, and ES2 a T5z. Keep up the great work! I have a local Irish bar band and Heartfelt Thanks police and I had contacted the pawnshops, and Dan and Moocho got the installations. Shane Johns we gig ceaselessly. I was looking for I have been remiss in sending word out to just about every music shop in New England with a bulk e-mail something to replace my old, worn-out this thank-you note — about 12 years and some phone calls. These thugs didn’t have much of a chance, so they stage guitar. When I first set eyes on remiss! Somewhere around late 2003, had ditched it, literally throwing it over a bank at the pull-off. This guitar spent 22 ROSEWOOD REFRESH: 30 SOUNDINGS A Balanced Approach ol’ Thunderbox, I was compelled to pick Kurt [Listug] had a column in which he two and a half days in near-zero-degree (F) temperatures. As the photo Prince, Winter NAMM, 12-string reviews, Bob, thank you for your extended this beauty up — I pulled a pick out of provided heart attack signs and encour- shows, about two or three inches of snow had accumulated on the case. I THE NEW 700 SERIES News from Nashville, and Jeffrey Seeman’s response to Mr. McKee’s inquiry on my pocket, attacked it like I do when aged readers to take them seriously. delivered her back to Northern Lights, where Dan performed a Taylor Factory Lutz spruce tops, herringbone trim, and wood-rich details infuse new release Everything In Between. ebony (“Ask Bob,” Vol. 84). In my early I’m on stage, and was absolutely blown [Ed. Note: It was in the summer 2003 Authorized examination and pronounced her as good as the day I first saw these revamped rosewood models with earthy elegance. adult years (1980s), I worked in a small away by the sheer power of the thing! issue.] Ironically, within a month of read- her in the store! All is well with the world again! I am most grateful to all woodshop for a guy who made custom I didn’t even plug it into an amp. The ing the column, I experienced those parties who helped in the recovery and reunion of my guitar and me.