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When we talked with you four years ago, you were making two guitars per month and thinking about opening a workshop outside your home. How have things changed in this time? Have you hired anyone to help your work?
Later this year will mark my 10th anniversary building guitars and I am really proud of that. I read a quote once that went like, “most people miss opportunity because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work.” That made sense to me, so I have always tried to work hard for my customers. We’re still a very “mom and pop” type of organization, and I prefer to keep the operation small. My goals are to make profound guitars and sometimes you just can’t program a machine to do that.
I do have a couple of guys that help me out on a part-time basis. Mike and Chad help me a lot in between their other jobs. My wife Melinda really helps me out crunching the numbers and other paper work. Plans are definitely in the works to build a new workshop, we’ve been building up to that for quite some time now, and are finally about ready to take the plunge. If everything goes as planned, I will be moving into a nice building later this year.
I noticed that you have started making a standard model. What led to this decision, and do you think it has any affect on the custom business?
The heart of our business is still, and always will be, the hand-made custom business. We still build the finest handmade instruments on the planet, however, not everybody is in the market for a high dollar, hand-made boutique guitar. Over the years, we’ve built a solid reputation for using the highest quality materials and construction techniques, and have decided to create a branch of our business that focuses on building lower cost instruments with fewer options, while maintaining our high standards for our customers.
These Standard models use a combination of modern machinery and hand finishing to get consistency in the neck and to control the overall quality of the guitar. This keeps our costs lower, and allows us to pass those savings on to our customers. By doing this, we’re able to build the highest quality Standard guitars at a fair and competitive price.
Additionally, we believe that the customers who are buying these Standard models will return later and buy higher end custom instruments from us. So far we have seen only positive effects from this new market.
Tell us a little about the other new models that you have. Some new and exciting models are our Presentation Elect Guitars and the 10th Anniversary guitar coming out later this year. What is a Presentation Elect Guitar? I would explain it like this: a Custom Abyss Guitar would be a guitar built using your ideas. You know what you want, you place the order and the guitar is built according to your specs.
A Presentation Elect would be a guitar made using my ideas by means of the same exact quality of materials that are used on the Customs. These are inlay ideas and concepts that I have come up with over the years using the guitar as a springboard for my art. They are very collectable and playable. My customers, and boutique buyers, understand up front that my handmade guitars are extravagant and expensive. It is what I am able to give the customer that makes my value credible and it all comes from the same pool of Master Grade materials that I use to build the Abyss Custom Guitars. These guitars will speak for themselves.
The 10th Anniversary guitar I can’t say a whole lot about, other than as of now, there will only be ten made. They will be signed, numbered and a certificate of authenticity will accompany them. They will feature some of the most incredible inlay work, woods, and finishes that we’ve ever done. They are going to blow people’s minds with number one and two going into production soon after this article hits. Keep checking back at abyssguitars.com for the details.
What is your favorite guitar that you have made? Is there a certain model that you prefer making?
My personal favorites are the Presentation Archtops and the Presentation Acoustics. There is a lot more going on there than your solidbody electric guitar and I have more creative freedom with my Presentation Elect series and my Customs. I also traveled to Canada this past fall and worked with an acoustic Master Builder for a few days. I am going to use the same approach with handcrafting acoustics – making them one-of-a-kind art pieces. I learned a lot and he told me before I left that, “I was a master craftsman and that he knew I was going to make great acoustics.” Have you had any notable customers? Where do find most of your customers coming from?
One of the most rewarding aspects of having such a grass-roots business is the relationship we build with all of our customers. It’s amazing how diverse our customer base has been, from all different parts of the world and different backgrounds. We currently have customers on five continents in dozens of countries, including Japan, U.K., Sweden, Germany and Norway. This is the beauty of the Internet; you don’t have to be on Fifth Avenue or Sunset Boulevard to reach people. All my customers are notable and important to me.
Your inlays are among the most complex and detailed we’ve ever seen. Walk us through the process of completing something like this.
Thanks for that compliment. First, I start with the idea and get it to a piece of paper. Then I select a material that will best represent what it is that I am trying to replicate. Next I would start cutting all these pieces out and assembling them similar to a puzzle, only I am making the pieces of this puzzle. In the latter stage you have to transfer the pattern/piece onto the fretboard and rout them in. Once the piece fits, you have to epoxy it in. After the epoxy is dry, you sand it flush and re-slot any frets positions that need it.
When did you start doing inlay service? What prompted this decision and how has the response been?
I started doing that to expand my business and promote my art. That service just went up so it is too early to tell what will happen in the long run. My intention is to work that stuff in as it comes across the table. I would be happy to give quotes to anyone who has an idea for their guitar. This is just an inlay service only; you will have to find someone else to put the frets in, like your guitar tech. I would also be willing to do inlay work for other builders, companies or bigger production companies, as my schedule would allow.
I see that you pride yourself on your wood choices. As some of the “elite” woods like Koa and Brazilian rosewood become harder to get, how does this affect your wood selection? Do you see this affecting your customers?
It is the law of supply and demand. These woods are harder to get, so if someone is willing to pay for it, I have no problem using it. Koa is exclusive to Hawaii and to my knowledge, they can only cut what has already fallen. Brazilian rosewood is on a treaty ban and they have similar restrictions. All in all, I just think it makes the guitar even more valuable, so I don’t see it affecting my customers if they want that wood and are willing to pay the cost.
Do you offer all of your guitars in 6 or 7-string models? What do you like about a 7-string guitar that prompted you to start making them?
Yes, you can get six or seven string guitars in any of the models. At the time I started making guitars, seven string guitars were having this resurgence. That is when and where I named the guitars “Abyss”. The lower seven-string note took you to sonic depths I thought that sounded like the “Abyss” and that is how the name came to be.
I see that you are working on a new limited edition, “The Revelation,” can you tell us anything about that one?
It is going to be another fantastic guitar in a collectable line that I want everybody to check out on my site. I plan ten of each and quite a few are already sold. They include, The Crucifixion LE, The Ascension LE, The Last Supper LE and now The Revelation LE. The Revelation will be unveiled in the near future, probably this fall.
You been at this for some time – any final thoughts about the business of boutique instruments and where you’re headed?
In life, just like in the guitar industry, there are path makers and path takers. I intend to be a leader for the boutique and highend custom guitar market and pursue my own ideas and concepts. My goal is to continue to lead the way with unique guitars and inlays that very few others can do.
The greatest thing you can do is to blaze your own trail. That would be a path maker. I want to thank my family for the support, my customers for their backing and the Lord God Almighty for in Him all things are made possible.
Peace and God bless.
ABYSS GUITARS
641-582-3718
abyssguitars.com
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Last year, Taylor Guitars capped its 50th Anniversary by introducing a new guitar collection celebrating the contributions of co-founders Bob Taylor and Kurt Listug to the guitar world. The Legacy Collection revives five of Bob Taylor’s classic acoustic models, curated by the legendary luthier and innovator himself. “To imagine that we’re doing guitars that harken to our past, our present and our future all at the same time,” Bob says, “I really like that.”
In developing the collection, Bob preserved the essence of his originals while integrating performance and playability upgrades introduced during his tenure as designer-in-chief. “It’s an up-to-date version of what those guitars would be,” Bob explains, “but with the same sound.”
Visually, these guitars feel classic—clean, understated and unmistakably Taylor. While Bob’s original aesthetic preferences are showcased in his Legacy models, the nod to the past runs deeper than trade dress.
From his earliest builds, Bob favored slim-profile necks because he found them easier to play. That preference set a design precedent that established Taylor’s reputation for smooth-playing, comfortable necks. Legacy models feature slim mahogany necks built with Taylor's patented New Technology (NT) design. “My first neck was a bolted-on neck but not an NT neck,” Bob says. “These are NT necks because it’s a better neck.” Introduced in 1999, the NT neck allowed for unprecedented micro-adjustability while offering a consistent, hand-friendly Taylor playing experience.
What makes this collection unique within the Taylor line is Bob’s use of his X-bracing architecture, favoring his time-tested internal voicing framework over more recent Taylor bracing innovations to evoke a distinctive tone profile. Since Andy Powers—Taylor’s current Chief Guitar Designer, President and CEO—debuted his patented V-Class bracing in 2018, V-Class has become a staple in Taylor’s premium-performance guitars. Still, Bob’s X-bracing pattern produces a richly textured sound with pleasing volume, balance and clarity that long defined the Taylor voice. All Legacy models feature LR Baggs VTC Element electronics, which Bob says “harkens back to those days.”
The team at Taylor thought the best way to demonstrate the sound of the Legacy guitars was to ask Andy Powers, Bob’s successor, to play them. A world-class luthier and musician, Andy has spent the past 14 years leading Taylor’s guitar innovation. In addition to V-Class bracing, his contributions include the Grand Pacific body style, the ultra-refined Builder’s Edition Collection, and most recently, the stunning Gold Label Collection.
Below you’ll find a series of videos that feature Powers playing each Legacy model along with information about the guitars.
Legacy 800 Series Models
First launched in 1975, the 800 Series was Taylor’s first official guitar series. Today, it remains home to some of the brand’s most acclaimed instruments, including the flagship 814ce, Builder’s Edition 814ce and new Gold Label 814e.
The Legacy 800 Series features the 810e Dreadnought and two Jumbos: the 6-string 815e and 12-string 855e. Each model serves up a refined version of the Dreadnought and Jumbo body shapes Bob inherited from Sam Radding—the original owner of the American Dream music shop where Bob and Kurt first met. “I was making my guitars in the molds that Sam had made at American Dream,” Bob recalls. “There was a Jumbo and a Dreadnought. That’s all we had.”
All three Legacy 800 Series guitars feature one of Bob’s favorite tonewood combos. Solid Indian rosewood back and sides are paired with a Sitka spruce top, yielding warm lows, clear trebles and a scooped midrange.
Aesthetic appointments include a three-ring abalone rosette, mother-of-pearl Large Diamond inlays, white binding around the body and fretboard, and Bob’s “straight-ear” peghead design. Both Jumbo models also showcase a mustache-style ebony bridge—a nod to Bob’s early Jumbo builds.
Legacy 810e
The 810 Dreadnought holds a special place in Bob Taylor’s heart. “My first 810, the one I made for myself, was a thrilling guitar for me to make,” he says. “It’s the one and only guitar I played. It didn’t matter how many guitars we made at Taylor, that’s the one I took out and played.” The Legacy 810e brings back that bold, room-filling Dreadnought voice along with the easy playability expected from a Taylor.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 810e | Playthrough Demo
Legacy 855e
Taylor’s first 12-strings found an audience in 1970s Los Angeles. “I was making guitars that would find their way to McCabe’s in Santa Monica and Westwood Music,” Bob says, “and these guitars were easy to play. Twelve-strings were a popular sound in that music. It was a modern country/folk/rock music genre that was accepting our guitars because they were easy to play. They also liked the sound of them because our guitars were easier to record.” The Legacy 855e, with its resonant Jumbo body, slim neck and gorgeous octave sparkle, carries that tradition forward.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 855e | Playthrough Demo
Legacy 815e
The Legacy 815e revives Taylor’s original Jumbo 6-string, delivering a big, lush sound with beautifully blooming overtones.
Legacy Grand Auditoriums
In the early 1990s, Bob Taylor heard a consistent refrain from dealers: “Not everybody wants a dreadnought guitar anymore.” Players were asking for something with comparable volume but different proportions—something more comfortable, yet still powerful. This feedback inspired Bob to design a new body style with more elegant curves, more accommodating proportions and a balanced tonal response. The result was the Grand Auditorium, which Taylor introduced in 1994 to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Thanks to its musical versatility and easy playability, Bob’s Grand Auditorium attracted a wide variety of players. “We came into our own with our Grand Auditorium,” he says. “People were describing it as ‘all around.’ It’s a good strummer and good for fingerstyle, but it’s not totally geared toward strumming or totally geared toward fingerstyle.” Also referred to as the “Swiss-Army Knife” of guitars or the “Goldilocks” guitar, the GA quickly became a favorite among guitarists across playing styles, musical genres and different playing applications including recording and live performance. “That guitar made studio work successful,” Bob says. It gained a wider fanbase with the debut of the “ce” version, which introduced a Venetian cutaway and onboard electronics. “That became one of our hallmarks,” says Bob. “If you want to plug in your guitar, buy a Taylor.”
Today, the Grand Auditorium is Taylor’s best-selling body shape.
The Legacy Collection features two cedar-top Grand Auditoriums inspired by past favorites: the mahogany/cedar 514ce and rosewood/cedar 714ce. Both models incorporate Bob’s original X-bracing pattern for a tonal character reminiscent of their 1990s and 2000s counterparts. Shared aesthetic details include a green abalone three-ring rosette, ebony bridge pins with green abalone dots, a faux-tortoiseshell pickguard and Taylor gold tuning machines.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 815e | Playthrough Demo
Legacy 514ce
The Legacy 514ce features solid mahogany back and sides paired with a Western Red cedar top, yielding a punchy midrange and dry, woody sonic personality that pairs beautifully with cedar’s soft-touch sensitivity and warmth. It’s a standout choice for fingerstyle players and light strummers who crave nuance and depth. Distinct visual details include faux-tortoise body and fretboard binding, black-and-white top trim, and mother-of-pearl small diamond fretboard inlays.
Taylor Guitars | Legacy 514ce | Playthrough Demo
Legacy 714ce
The Legacy 714ce also features a cedar top, this time matched with solid Indian rosewood back and sides. The result is a richly textured sound with deep lows, clear trebles and a warm, mellow response. Inspiring as it is, this specific wood pairing isn’t currently offered in any other standard Taylor model. Additional aesthetic details include green abalone dot fretboard inlays, black body and fretboard binding, and black-and-white “pinstripe” body purfling.
While the Legacy Collection spotlights Taylor’s past, newer models from the Gold Label, Builder’s Edition and Somos Collections show the company’s legacy is always evolving. Explore the Legacy Collection at taylorguitars.com or visit your local authorized Taylor dealer.
